<p>In today’s economical world, companies realize the importance to build corporate strategies on innovation to sustain a continuous profitability. Innovation is a crucial issue to develop a competitive advantage. In our networked economy, companies can not only rely on in-house activities anymore to raise creative and come up with breakthrough innovations they need to collaborate with actors from the external environment. Firms have to think outside their own boundaries to leverage the complementary resources and capabilities needed to innovate. Partnerships help to ensure firms’ future successes.</p><p>The purpose of our study is to understand how companies, operating in the automotive industry, integrate ‘Open and Networked Innovation’ concepts in their corporate strategy to enhance their environmental friendly profile. As far as the EV market is concerned, our study will also lead to determine the Key Factors of Success and the barriers that companies have to face when they want to launch an electric car in the market.</p><p>Various theoretical approaches have been developed over the time about Open Innovation and Networked Innovation. The dilemma of paradoxical organization needs of radical innovation, exposed by Dr Sigvald Harryson, is our theoretical starting-point to analyze company’s ability to find the right equilibrium between exploration and exploitation and absorptive capacity. Further on, we explore the question of absorptive capacity to know how firms identify, acquire, transfer and transform knowledge.</p><p>Thereafter, the theoretical framework is confronted with empirical data based on a qualitative and abductive approach of two case studies – Tesla and Renault. Interviews with Tesla, located in the Silicon Valley, California, USA, have been conducted. We also met two key employees in Renault’s headquarter, Paris, France. Interpretation and explanation of the data collected is reported in our analysis of each case as well as in the cross-case analysis. A presentation of our recommendations and conclusions conclude our master thesis.</p>

Submitted by Celso dos Santos Malachias (celso.malachias@gmail.com) on 2017-01-10T12:46:01Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Celso Malachias Versao Final .pdf: 16026161 bytes, checksum: 41aeedafa13f8f5c3dde84db7b7e42f7 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Pamela Beltran Tonsa (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br) on 2017-01-11T16:54:19Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Celso Malachias Versao Final .pdf: 16026161 bytes, checksum: 41aeedafa13f8f5c3dde84db7b7e42f7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-12T11:30:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Celso Malachias Versao Final .pdf: 16026161 bytes, checksum: 41aeedafa13f8f5c3dde84db7b7e42f7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-12-20 / Esta tese examina o mecanismo de aquisição e interpretação pelas empresas, de sinais gerados no mercado, e que estimulam inovação, a partir da aplicação do marco analítico (“framework”) conceitual Visão Periférica Estendida (VPE). Este framework conceitual representa a capacidade que a empresa possui de monitorar seu ambiente externo, adquirir informações e convertê-las em ideias e inovações. Como proposição, argumenta-se que os elementos que integram o framework impactam na geração de ideias e na implantação de inovações. Adotou-se a metodologia qualitativa com entrevistas com executivos chave em doze empresas de serviços de Tecnologia de Informação. Foram encontradas evidências que suportam o framework VPE proposto como mecanismo de geração de ideias e inovações a partir de sinais externos. A empresa que gerou mais inovações foi também a mais aderente ao framework. A validade externa do modelo foi realizada comparando-se os resultados obtidos com dados secundários públicos de relatórios sobre inovações como resultado, elaborados por empresas de consultoria. As fases propostas no framework foram confirmadas mediante depoimentos dos executivos. Destacaram-se três conjuntos de achados: 1) capacidades, 2) práticas e 3) tendências; 1) As capacidades habilitadoras da inovação subdivididas em: liderança, comportamental, mercado, ressignificação, “glocal”, e engenharia; 2) As práticas percebidas para a geração de ideias e inovações categorizadas em temas: busca de padrões, procedimentos, ampliação do escopo de análise com o cliente, e análise do mercado; 3) As tendências monitoradas pelas empresas: tecnologia, modelos de negócios e sociais- demográficas. As inovações como resultado constatadas foram: processo, produto, modelos de negócios, organizacional, estrutural e marketing. Este trabalho contribui com a prática gerencial propondo um framework conceitual para a geração de ideias e inovações a partir de sinais externos à empresa. Ainda, apresenta uma série de práticas e capacidades que líderes de empresas podem se apropriar e replicar em suas realidades. Do ponto de vista acadêmico, contribui com uma literatura atualizada a respeito do tema da inovação vinda de fora da empresa, de forma integrada em seus elementos constituintes. / This dissertation examines the mechanisms companies use to acquire and interpret market signals, and which stimulate innovation. It applies the Extended Peripheral Vision (EPV) conceptual framework, which represents a company’s capacity to monitor its external environment, acquire information, and convert it into ideas and innovation. As a proposition, it argues that the elements that compose the EPV framework impact on the generation of ideas and on the implementation of innovation. Following a qualitative methodology, interviews with top-level executives from twelve Information Technology service companies were conducted. This study found evidences that support the proposed EPV framework as a mechanism of idea and innovation generation from external signals. The company that generated more innovations was also the one most adherent to the framework. The external validity of the model was made by comparing this research results with secondary data from publicly available reports on innovation, prepared by consulting firms. The interviews with the top-level executives confirmed the proposed stages in the framework. These can be aggregated into three groups: 1) capabilities, 2) practices, and 3) trends. 1) The capabilities could be further divided into leadership, behavioral, market-related, reframing, “glocal”, and associated to engineering. 2) The practices seen as relevant for the production of ideas and innovation can be categorized in: search of standards, procedures, expansion of the client’s scope of analyzes, and market analysis. 3) The trends companies have monitored are: technology, business models and socio-demographic trends. The resulting innovations were related to: process, product, business model, organizational, structural, and marketing. This dissertation contributes to the business management practice with a conceptual framework for the generation of ideas and innovation, based on external signals to the company. Moreover, it presents a series of practices and capabilities that business leaders can use and replicate in their own context. It also contributes to the academic scholars with an updated literature review of the innovation topic coming from external signals, in an integrated form of its constitutive elements.

La question principale de la recherche est la suivante : en quoi une politique d’intégration des nouveaux embauchés a-t-elle un rôle de transformation d’une compétence collective ? Le cadre théorique mobilisé s’articule autour de la GRH mais recouvre d’autres champs disciplinaires tels que le management stratégique. Notre méthodologie de recherche a consisté à mener une étude de cas approfondie au sein de SNCF Infra dans un contexte spécifique : l’ouverture prochaine à la concurrence du marché ferroviaire pour les voyageurs. Il ressort de l’analyse des données qu’à l’instar de la formation, le processus d’intégration contribue au renouvellement des compétences des salariés en mettant plus spécifiquement à l’épreuve les compétences collectives existantes. Cette recherche tend à mettre en exergue deux pistes de réflexion : assimiler la capacité d’absorption à une compétence organisationnelle et promouvoir le savoir coopérer comme une nouvelle méta-compétence. / The main research question is : how does a new integration policy hired a transformative role of collective competence ? The mobilized theoretical framework is based on HRM but covers other disciplines such as strategic management. Our research methodology was to conduct a thorough case study within SNCF Infra in a specific context : the next opening to competition of the railway market for travelers. It appears from the data analysis that, like training, the integration process contributes to the renewal of employee skills and more specifically by testing existing collective skills. This research tends to highlight two lines of thought : assimilate the absorption capacity to an organizational competence and promote knowledge cooperate as a new meta-competence.

La connaissance étant au coeur de la création et du développement d’un avantage concurrentiel à travers l’innovation, la capacité des organisations à absorber les connaissances en provenance de l’extérieur est aujourd’hui devenue critique. Cette recherche soutient que le déclenchement et le développement d’un processus d’absorption ne peuvent résulter des seuls efforts organisationnels internes. Elle vise à comprendre la façon dont les services marchands à forte intensité de connaissances (Knowledge-Intensive Business, KIBS) peuvent améliorer le processus d’absorption de leurs clients.En se basant sur l’approche par les capacités dynamiques, cette recherche met en évidence la nécessité de prendre en compte : (1) les conditions d’émergence et du développement de la capacité d’absorption ; (2) le rôle des organisations externes dans le processus d’absorption. Cette thèse sur travaux repose sur un article théorique et trois articles empiriques qui s’appuient sur une méthodologie qualitative d’études de cas multiples dans le secteur du conseil en conception innovante.Cette thèse donne lieu à trois contributions majeures en faisant émerger : (1) la notion de « capacité d’insémination » du KIBS qui adopte, sélectionne,contextualise et préserve les connaissances afin de faciliter le déclenchement et le développement d’un processus d’absorption de la part de son client ; (2) les correspondances entre la capacité d’insémination des KIBS et la capacité d’absorption de leurs clients ; (3) l’accompagnement par le KIBS des activités de co-production du client, critiques en conception innovante. Au final, cette recherche contribue à la littérature en sciences de gestion et en management stratégique sur la capacité d’absorption et l’innovation. Les résultats débouchent sur des recommandations managériales visant à développer la capacité d’absorption des entreprises au travers de la relation de service et de conseil. / With knowledge at the heart of the creation and maintenance of competitive advantage through innovation, an organization’s ability to absorb external knowledge is critical. This research supports the idea that the initiation and perpetuation of a knowledge absorption process are not only the result of internal organizational efforts. It aims to improve understanding of how Knowledge-Intensive Business Services (KIBS) can enhance their clients’ absorption process. Based on the dynamic capabilities approach, this research highlights the need to take into account: (1) the conditions that will enable the initiation and perpetuation of a knowledge absorption process; (2) the role of external organizations into absorption process. This Multi-Monograph Thesis is composed of one theoretical article and three empirical articles utilizing qualitative multiple-case study methodology in the field of innovative design consulting. This thesis leads to three major contributions: (1) the notion of the “insemination capacity” of KIBS, which is the ability to adopt, select, contextualize and preserve knowledge so as to initiate and perpetuate a knowledge absorption process; (2) the connections between absorptive and insemination capacities; (3) the guidance provided to a client’s co-production activities in the context of innovative design. Ultimately, this research contributes to Management Sciences and Strategic Management literature on absorptive capacity and innovation. It also provides recommendations to managers on how to develop absorptive capacity through the service and consulting relationship.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-01T19:18:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 120975.pdf: 8937130 bytes, checksum: 3918dbb9795770d7fbe8f91e48c060df (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-11-25 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This work performs a case study on absorptive capacity of technical and commercial knowledge for startups and continuous improvement, developed on Specto company. The study was mainly based on the concepts of Innovation (Apaydin & Crossan, 2010), Lean Startup (Ries, 2012), and Absorptive Capacity (Cohen & Levinthal, 1990, and Zahra & George, 2002). Through qualitative analysis, observations and interviews with triangulation, the products QualProx, VisAct and Ozon-in were analyzed. In this analysis it was possible to classify the type of innovation, phases of startup or continuous improvement, and practices related to absorptive capacity. At the end, suggestions for improving the absorptive capacity of technical and commercial knowledge for startups and continuous improvement process were made. / O presente trabalho tem por objetivo realizar um estudo de caso sobre a capacidade absortiva de conhecimentos técnico-comerciais para startups e melhoria contínua de produtos da Specto, com base, principalmente, nos conceitos de inovação de Crossan e Apaydin (2010), Startup Enxuta de Ries (2012), e de capacidade absortiva de Cohen e Levinthal (1990) e Zahra e George (2002). Para tanto, foi realizada uma análise qualitativa, com base em observação e entrevistas com triangulação, sobre o histórico dos produtos QualProx, VisAct e Ozon-in. Nessa análise foi possível classificar o tipo de inovação, fases de startup ou de melhoria contínua, e as práticas relacionadas à capacidade absortiva. Ao fim, foram feitas sugestões para a melhoria do processo de absorção de conhecimentos técnico-comerciais da Specto, para fases de startup e de melhoria contínua de produtos.

Before 1950, the Chinese automobile industry did not exist, let alone manufacturing passenger cars. Currently, the Chinese automobile market has become the largest market in the world. Chinese companies have launched their own brand of passenger cars to compete with other international companies in the world only in 30 years. In our research, we analysed the development of the Chinese automobile industry from the perspective of knowledge transfer. This study employed qualitative method to conduct the research and a Chinese automobile company was taken as an example. To analyse the process of knowledge transfer, we created an analytical model which is based on previous research. The primary data to test the model comes from three interviews, which were conducted with employees working as manager and engineer in the Chinese automobile industry. The secondary data was collected to complement the primary data. All data were used to present a holistic view of the process researched. Our results show that the rapid growth began with the attention of the Chinese government who set the Chinese automobile industry as the "pillar industry" of the Chinese economy. Then, the rapid development of the Chinese automobile industry greatly depends on the process of cross-border knowledge transfer, which is significantly influenced by the Chinese government. Our main contribution is that the process of knowledge transfer can work well within an environment controlled by the government, in spite of lacking the enablers examined in previous studies (e.g. trust). Another contribution is the analytical model we created to analyse the whole process of knowledge transfer.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:30:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Suzana Gilioli da Costa Nunes.pdf: 1163925 bytes, checksum: aa9c952dffb7a7d62052a6f61929b153 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-09-20 / This thesis involved three constructs in the area of organizational strategy, exploration, exploitation and carrying capacity of the organizational knowledge. The main objective was to evaluate the degree of association between exploration and exploitation and absorption capacity. To achieve this main objective, it was formulated three others, the secondary character, for the three constructs involved in the research. From this, twelve specific goals and two hypotheses were stated. For the achievement of general and specific objectives of this thesis it was developed a quantitative research study, with the level of analysis one hundred companies within the sectors of trade and services, located in the city of Palmas, Tocantins State. The respondents consisted of managers working at these companies. The questionnaire was developed using two scales. One for the measurement of the guidelines for exploration and exploitation, developed by Popadiuk (2012) and the other on the scale was measuring the absorption capacity of knowledge developed by Matusik and Heeley (2005). Statistical analyzes were related to the objectives of descriptive character. To verify the two hypotheses the technique involved the Structural Equation Modeling using software PLS-PM. As the concepts of exploration and exploitation were based on the proposed Popadiuk (2012) which is translated by six dimensions: practices of organizational knowledge, practices, innovation, strategic focus, competition, partnership and efficiency, hence originated six specific objectives. Since the concept of absorption capacity was translated by four specific objectives, in order that one of the dimensions involved two other smaller. The results showed that the companies surveyed have guidance for exploitation. In relation to absorptive capacity, firms have a high degree of predominance of relationship with the environment, routines and procedures and public awareness. However, showed low level in relation to individual abilities. The third goal, which is the association between the two constructs, the results showed that the analysis by structural equation modeling, we can identify the measurement model used was adequate in terms of its convergent validity and discriminant validity . Both hypotheses were confirmed. The absorption capacity knowledge showed a coefficient for explaining operation and exploitation, characterized as the significant level of 1%. The absorption capacity of more influence than the operation guidance for exploitation as ratio between operating and absorption capacity is greater than the coefficient of exploitation identified and absorption capacity. / Esta tese envolveu três construtos da área de estratégia organizacional: exploração, explotação e capacidade de absorção do conhecimento organizacional. O objetivo principal foi avaliar o grau de associação entre exploração e explotação e a capacidade absorção. Para atingir esse objetivo principal, foram formulados três outros, de caráter secundário, referentes aos três construtos envolvidos na pesquisa. A partir disso, doze objetivos específicos e duas hipóteses foram enunciadas. Para o atingimento dos objetivos gerais e específicos desta tese foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa de caráter quantitativo, tendo como nível de análise cem empresas pertencentes aos setores de comércio e de serviços, localizadas na cidade de Palmas, Estado do Tocantins. Os informantes consistiram em gestores que trabalhavam nessas empresas. O questionário aplicado envolveu a utilização de duas escalas. Uma para a mensuração das orientações para exploração e explotação, desenvolvido por Popadiuk (2012) e a outra escala foi referente à mensuração da capacidade de absorção do conhecimento, desenvolvida por Matusik e Heeley (2005). As análises estatísticas relativas aos objetivos foram de caráter descritivo. Para a verificação das duas hipóteses a técnica utilizada envolveu a Modelagem de Equações Estruturais, mediante o software PLS-PM. Como os conceitos de exploração e explotação foram baseados na proposta de Popadiuk (2012) que é traduzida por seis dimensões: práticas de conhecimento organizacional, práticas de inovação, foco estratégico, competição, parcerias e eficiência; daí, originaram-se seis objetivos específicos. Já o conceito de capacidade de absorção ficou traduzido por quatro objetivos específicos, tendo em vista que uma das dimensões envolvia duas outras, menores. Os resultados demonstraram que as empresas pesquisadas possuem orientação para explotação. Já em relação à capacidade de absorção, as empresas possuem alto grau de predominância de relacionamento com o ambiente, rotinas e procedimentos e conhecimento público. Entretanto, apresentaram baixo grau no que se refere às habilidades individuais. Quanto ao terceiro objetivo, que trata da associação entre os dois construtos, os resultados demonstraram que, pela análise, mediante a modelagem de equações estruturais, pode-se identificar que o modelo de mensuração adotado foi adequado em termos de sua validade convergente e validade discriminante. As duas hipóteses foram confirmadas. A capacidade de absorção do conhecimento apresentou um coeficiente de explicação para exploração e para explotação, caracterizados como significantes ao nível de 1%. A capacidade de absorção influencia mais a orientação para exploração do que para explotação dado que coeficiente entre exploração e capacidade de absorção foi maior do que o coeficiente identificado entre explotação e capacidade de absorção.

Os custos elevados de aquisição de conhecimento, a intensificação da concorrência e a necessidade de aproximação do consumidor vêm estimulando empresas a buscar formas alternativas de aumentar seu potencial de inovação pela integração de usuários. No entanto, a literatura e o senso comum convergem ao afirmar que nem todo usuário está habilitado a trazer conhecimentos que sustentem a vantagem competitiva das inovações. Nesse contexto, emerge a figura do lead user que, por definição, é capaz de sentir necessidades de produtos e serviços ainda não expressos por usuários regulares. Esses conhecimentos, quando adequadamente absorvidos, trazem benefícios expressivos às empresas que os incorporam ao DNP. Sabendo que as formas de incorporação de usuários apresentam variações, este estudo se destina a entender como empresas de diferentes setores absorvem conhecimentos de lead users por diferentes práticas de integração. Para tanto, foi escolhido o método de estudo de casos múltiplos incorporados, observados em três multinacionais de grande porte: Natura, Whirlpool e Microsoft (Bing). Ao todo foram avalidados cinco modos de integração distintos, escolhidos a partir de duas formações: individual (conhecimentos isolados de usuários distintos) e coletivo (conhecimentos articulados em discussões em grupo), analisados pelos métodos de indução analítica com síntese cruzada de dados. Os resultados mostraram que as categorias teóricas utilizadas para observação inicial do fenômenol: parâmetro de identificação e técnica de seleção (aquisição); mecanismo de interação (assimilação); mecanismos de socialização (transformação) e sistema de formalização (exploração) apoiaram parcialmente o entendimento das atividades do processo e, por esta razão, precisaram se complementadas pelas categorias emergentes: criação de contexto, motivação (aquisição); estímulos, parâmetro de observação, interpretação (assimilação); definição de papéis, coordenação de processos, combinação de conhecimento (transformação) e gestão do conhecimento (exploração), coletadas na fase empírica Essa complementação aumentou a robustez do modelo inicial e mostrou como a absorção de conhecimentos pode ser avaliada pelas dimensões absortivas. No entanto, as análises intra e intercasos que se seguiram, mostraram que esse entendimento era insuficiente para explicar a capacidade de absorção por diferentes práticas, uma vez que o fenômeno é influenciado por fatores contextuais associados tanto à prática de integração quanto ao modo como cada empresa se organiza para inovar (tipo de acesso ao colaborador). As reflexões teóricas realizadas a partir desses resultados permitiram contribuir com a teoria existente de duas formas: I) pelo entendimento estendido das atividades de absorção necessárias para incorporação de conhecimentos de lead users e III) pela proposição de um modelo conceitual amplo que abarcou diferentes práticas de integração considerando também os antecedentes de inovação, as atividades absortivas e os fatores adjuntos, inerentes a cada prática. Esta pesquisa objetiva contribuir para o conhecimento teórico sobre inovação e motivar reflexões que possam ser úteis para gerentes e executivos interessados em aprimorar suas práticas e processos de captação de conhecimentos de lead users. / The high costs of acquiring knowledge, the increased competition and the need for consumer approach has stimulated companies to seek alternative ways to increase their innovation potential by integrating users. However, literature and common sense converge to say that not every user is able to bring knowledge to support the competitive advantage of innovations. In this context, the picture emerges of the lead user that, by definition, is capable of sensing needs for products and services not yet expressed by regular users. This knowledge, when properly absorbed, bring significant benefits to companies that incorporate the DNP. Knowing that the forms of incorporation users have variations, this study aims to understand how companies from different sectors lead absorb knowledge users for different integration practices. Thus, it was chosen the method of multiple case study incorporated, observed in three large multinationals: Natura, Whirlpool and Microsoft (Bing). In all, we avalidados five distinct modes of integration, chosen from two configurations: individual (individual knowledge of different users) and collective (articulated knowledge in group discussions), analyzed by the methods of analytic induction cross-synthesis of data. The results showed that the theoretical categories used for the initial observation phenomenological: identification and parameter selection technique (acquisition); interaction mechanism (assimilation); socialization mechanisms (transformation) and formalizing system (exploration) partially supported the understanding of the process activities and, therefore, had to be complemented by emerging categories: context of creation, motivation (acquisition); stimulus parameter of observation, interpretation (assimilation); definition of roles, coordination processes, combination of knowledge (processing) and knowledge management (holding) collected empirical phase This supplement increased the robustness of the initial model and showed how the absorption of knowledge can be assessed by the absorptive dimensions. However, intra- and intercasos analysis that followed showed that such an approach was insufficient to explain the absorption capacity for different practices, since the phenomenon is influenced by contextual factors related both to the practice of integration as to how each enterprise is organized to innovate (type of access to the employee). The theoretical reflections made from these results allowed to contribute to the existing theory in two ways: I) by understanding extended the absorption activities necessary for incorporating lead users of knowledge and III) by proposing a broad conceptual model that encompassed different practices Integration also considering the innovation history, the absorptive activities and deputy factors inherent to each practice. This research aims to contribute to the theoretical understanding of innovation and motivate reflections that might be useful for managers and executives interested in improving their practices and lead users knowledge capture processes.

Um dos temas de maior interesse na pesquisa em estratégia nos últimos anos tem sido as capacidades dinâmicas, uma abordagem que se baseia nos conceitos de recursos e rotinas organizacionais para explicar a heterogeneidade do desempenho das organizações. Os estudos quantitativos na área são menos frequentes e tendem a usar medidas financeiras e unidimensionais, com particular interesse na relação entre as capacidades dinâmicas e o desempenho em detrimento de seus antecedentes. A fim de contribuir com a literatura, esse trabalho mapeia as principais bases teóricas relativas ao tema de capacidades dinâmicas e analisa quantitativamente o funcionamento de uma capacidade dinâmica com base em indicadores dos seus processos assim como examina seus condicionantes. Para operacionalização da etapa empírica, este trabalho elegeu um tipo específico de capacidade dinâmica, a capacidade de absorção, e restringiu a amostra a um setor, o de tecnologias da informação e comunicação no Brasil. A capacidade de absorção é relevante para a competitividade nesse setor porque ele é intensivo em conhecimento e enfrenta competição global, permitindo às organizações absorverem conhecimento de fontes externas e convertê-los em recursos que melhorem o desempenho em congruência com o ambiente. O modelo empírico foi avaliado com a técnica de modelagem de equações estruturais e construído com dados secundários de fontes oficiais. Verificou-se que a capacidade de absorção é um constructo bidimensional, cuja capacidade realizada estabelece uma relação de mediação entre a capacidade potencial e o desempenho da inovação. Foi identificado também que o desempenho da inovação afeta o desempenho de mercado, mas não o desempenho ambiental. Confirmou-se condicionantes do modelo que são estatisticamente significantes. Finalmente, foram encontradas evidências do formato do processo da capacidade de absorção. Os resultados empíricos e o mapeamento das bases conceituais contribuem para melhorar a compreensão das capacidades, com implicações teóricas e gerenciais. / One of the most relevant issues of strategy research in recent years has been dynamic capabilities, an approach, based on the concept of resources and organizational routines, aims to explain heterogeneity of organizations performance. Quantitative studies in the area are less frequent and tend to use one-dimensional and financial measures, with particularly interest in the relationship between dynamic capabilities and performance at expense of their antecedents. In order to contribute to literature, this work maps the main theoretical bases about dynamic capabilities and quantitatively analyzes the operation of a dynamic capability based on indicators of its processes as well as examining their conditionings. To operationalize empirical stage, this work elected a particular type of dynamic capability, absorptive capacity, and restricted sample to one sector, information and communication technology in Brazil. Absorptive capacity is relevant to competitiveness in this sector because it is knowledge-intensive and faces global competition, enabling organizations to absorb knowledge from external sources and convert them into resources that improve performance in congruence with environment. Empirical model was evaluated with structural equation modeling technique and built with secondary data from official sources. It was found that absorptive capacity is a two-dimensional construct, whose realized capacity establishes a mediation relationship between potential capacity and performance of innovation. It was also identified that performance of innovation affect the market performance, but not the environmental performance. It was confirmed that model constraints are statistically significant. Finally, evidence of the process format of absorptive capacity was found. Empirical results and the mapping of the conceptual bases contribute to better understanding of capabilities, with theoretical and managerial implications.

L’objet de cette thèse est l’analyse du comportement d’innovation des entreprises en Tunisie. L’analyse portesur les conditions économiques qui motivent les entreprises à innover, celles qui orientent leurs activités d’innovationet celles qui rendent difficile leur succès. La thèse est organisée en deux parties. La première partieprésente une relecture des théories modernes de l’innovation, les caractéristiques de l’économie tunisienneet celles de l’enquête sur l’innovation en Tunisie, utilisée dans l’analyse. La seconde partie de la thèse présenteles résultats des analyses statistiques et économétriques des déterminants de l’innovation en Tunisie.L’analyse est affinée autour des questions plus spécifiques, particulièrement pertinentes dans le cadre d’unpays en développement comme la Tunisie et en rapport avec les politiques mises en oeuvre et la stratégiede spécialisation internationale retenue dans ce pays. L’analyse conduit à un premier tableau des activitésd’innovations en Tunisie, qui nous amène à nous interroger sur la relation entre les stratégies d’exportationet les activités d’innovation des firmes. Une autre dimension internationale des stratégies de développementmodernes concerne le rôle des investissements directs étrangers dans l’innovation. La thèse s’interroge, endernier lieu, sur les dimensions de l’économie tunisienne qui sont perçues par les firmes comme affaiblissantleurs capacités à innover. / The purpose of this thesis is the analysis of the innovation behaviour of firms in Tunisia. The analysis focuseson the economic conditions that motivate firms to innovate, those which direct their innovation activitiesand those that make difficult their success. The thesis is organized into two parts. The first one presents apresentation of modern theories of innovation, the characteristics of the Tunisian economy and those of thesurvey on innovation in Tunisia, used in the analysis. The second part of the thesis presents the econometricand statistical results of the analysis of determinants of innovation in Tunisia. The analysis is refined on morespecific questions, particularly relevant in the context of a developing country like Tunisia and related withthe implemented policies and the strategy of international specialization chosen in this country. The analysisleads to a first picture of innovation activities in Tunisia, which leads us to wonder about the relationshipbetween export strategies and innovation activities of firms. Another international dimension of the modernstrategies of development concerns the role of the foreign direct investments in the innovation. The thesisexamines, finally, the dimensions of the Tunisian economy which are perceived by firms as weakening theirability to innovate.